Jack + Meg = Unconditional Love

Okay, so I can't seriously boycott my senses (see previous post if you're confused) - and so here's something new for today.

If I had to pick just one band in all of history (besides The Beatles because they're perfect by default) to best represent the beauty of life and love... I've decided that the honor would go to The White Stripes.

With the release of their gazillionth album coming up next week, I found it absolutely necessary to surf the entangled web for any trace of a music video (or whatever) that had to do with the album. And so, I was elated when, upon googling (yes, I know that "googling" is now ridiculously used as a common verb..) "icky thump," which is the title of the aformentioned album, I found a youtube video of the single.

Now, before I get into my reflections on the video, there's at least one important thing to consider about Jack and Meg White. From the beginning, their story has been a complex one - first they insisted on trying to convince the public that they were brother and sister. Then, it eventually got out that they were ACTUALLY ex-husband-and-wife, and that Jack took Meg's last name in marriage. Of course, the Jack we know now has kept the surname "White," despite his divorce with Meg (which of course, the details of the breakup are still unclear).

Then, several years into their extremely successful music career, Jack White met model Karen Elson. Then, Jack MARRIED Karen (with Meg as Karen's maid of honor, of course) and the couple had a daughter - Scarlett, who is now about a year old. SCARLETT WHITE! YES!!!! Jack's daughter with Karen Elson has Meg's last name! AND.. the name Scarlett is a synonym for the color RED. RED + WHITE = the color scheme of The White Stripes. Let's think about this for a minute, shall we?

Besides the fact that Jack and Meg White might just be the most important musical duo of all time in terms of pure talent and genius (besides Lennon and McCartney, that is), they are also both completely enamored with each other on a personal level. You can easily tell how close they are by the countless interviews they've done and the way they play together on the big stage. When I saw them live a couple years ago (and from completely memorizing my concert DVD of them playing at Blackpool), I conclude that there's not a single duo in all of rock & roll today who can play in absolute perfect sync with each other than the two of them.

(Now stay with me, because I have to get into another story thats necessary to relay to my point properly.)

Two years ago, my ex-bf and I dressed up as Jack and Meg White when we went to a rave for Halloween. We had a band together (with another one of our best friends) but we had broken up our relationship on okay terms just a few months earlier. For the sake of the music, we kept the band alive. As a tribute to The White Stripes, as well as to our own once-passionate and ever-musical romance, we figured that we were the perfect people to dress up as Jack and Meg. But here's the kicker... between the time my ex and I had broken up, and that night dressed up as Jack and Meg, we had abstained from all intimate relations. But, interestingly enough, that evening after the rave temporarily sparked our interests in each other (to go into detail would be rather un-ladylike). Of course, this temporary reignition coincided with being "Jack" and "Meg."

Okay, so here it is - as if any more proof was actually necessary! The newest White Stripes video for "Icky Thump" is one of the most passionately beautiful videos I have ever seen. The way Jack and Meg interact with each other in that video is the most perfect demonstration of "making love" - not sexually, but musically. Jack and Meg White, despite the fact that they are divorced, are joined into ONE soul whenever they make music, even if Jack is married to someone else. See, it doesn't matter. They will ALWAYS be "Jack & Meg," no matter what their personal lives dictate. Beyond the message of the song itself, they are THE human embodiment of LOVE, in a way that is extremely infectious... and if you ever get the opportunity to experience it, then you are truly lucky.

Life is full of broken ideals and constant change but music will always be a medium for understanding the unspeakable. Simply put, love is what you make - and The White Stripes are living proof.